


Running out of time (to make you love me)

by Rilaua



Category: My Babysitter's A Vampire
Genre: Angst, Bethan - Freeform, I'm sorry :(, M/M, My babysitters a vampire, mbav
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 01:23:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20827043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rilaua/pseuds/Rilaua
Summary: Sarah was replacing Benny so quickly, and he didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.





	Running out of time (to make you love me)

  
He isnt watching Benny. Benny was talking to Della and Ethan wasn't watching him.

He was occupied with Sarah, fidgeting and smiling. A smile Sarah fails to fall in love with.

Benny is watching. He might be talking to Della but he's watching. He can't go a second without looking behind him.

"Awesome news, Della's dog died!" Benny finally interrupts, waiting for Sarah to leave so he can take her spot.

"She said she loved my flowers," No reaction. Ethan just looks back and forth between both realities.

"Can't you imagine how grateful she'd be if i brought her dog back?" Wouldn't it be romantic? Wouldn't he be _pissed_?

"No!" was Ethan's response. Benny raised his brows at the realization in his friends face. He's listening, clearly now. Say more. "you can not bring her dead dog back!"

Benny continues on and Ethan tries to stop him. Will he? As long as Sarah is a constant topic of conversation, he'll never stop.

* * *

Ethan dabs the eyeshadow along Benny's right lid, sitting against the bathroom wall. "Since when do you know how to apply makeup?"

"Since my little sister forced me to help her play dress up," Ethan answered, rolling his eyes. "plus those times my mom made me her 'little makeup helper' before Jane was old enough to replace me."

The taller boy laughed at this, resulting in a gentle push from Ethan.

"It's not bad," Ethan leaned down to grab some lipstick, "it's actually kind of calming before you get to the eyeliner."

"Here, I'll do you," Benny grabbed Ethan's hand and slipped the lipstick container from it. He dabbed at his lips, inching closer but not too much. His eyes got lost and he dabbed a little too long.

"that's enough," Ethan laughed, grabbing the lipstick from Benny. "man, you really don't know how makeup works, do you."

Ethan began to dab at the other boy's lips, but Benny felt too close and too hot, so he abruptly grabbed his wrist.

"it's fine, I'll do me."

* * *

"Little Miss Neck-Biter has trouble believing in werewolves?"

Ethan was insulting Sarah. Multiple times. This wasn't like him, but Benny hopes it could mean something good.

"What'd you call me?"

Oh, shit. Benny is starting to realize the werewolf seeping into Ethan. he can't contain his smile.

"So!" Benny inserts himself between the two, back facing Sarah and his front close to Ethan. "Um, moving on..."

Even when he's mad at her, ethan still can't take his eyes off Sarah. Benny notices this when he looks back up at him, quickly placing the reversal cure's symbol in his hand to distract his eyes.

  
Maybe this werewolf thing wasn't so bad.

* * *

Sarah always had to be there now, even when she wasn't babysitting.

Benny always had to be there now, so he could catch a moment when she wasn't.

Ethan's parents go out way too much, though, so he has to sit around and wait for Ethan to stop talking to Sarah and reside in his room.

"Knights of Ninjitsu four!"

"Wick!" Ethan exclaims with a crack in his voice and a gleam in his eye. His expression was boyish and intense. 5 hours in line was worth it.

Ethan's excitement left Benny in awe and adoration. Nothing could ruin this.

"Ethan," Sarah's voice came yelling, "you're gonna want to see this!"

* * *

"Now, I'll pretend to be Sarah."

This was it. This was all he had. Ethan kept rolling his eyes and Benny wanted to see through it. He needed to. He had to.

"What if she says no? What are you, gonna just... Give up?"

"mmm... yeah, probably."

He needed to go further. "Convince me."

'**_me_**.'

"You and I have this... Special connection," Ethan starts. Benny is focused on eyes and lips, head and heart. "I feel like there's some... Cosmic reason we were thrown together."

Benny's eyes augment as he gets closer to the screen. It feels like it's directed at him, Ethan's such a great actor.

Something drops and Ethan stumbles out if his chair, hiding his computer the best he can.

"Uh, dad," Ethan laughs. Benny watches with impatience. "this is not what it looks like,"

Benny makes a vague excuse and it never convinces Ethan's dad. For the next few days, Ross will keep at least one of his eyes on them.

* * *

Tired. Everyone's tired. The girls outside the cage are tired. Benny is tired. Ethan is tired.

Benny sits on the chair, giving into slumber. Ethan worries about the key, but he's getting more and more exhausted.

Nonsense mumbles ensue, "don't sit on the floor. go to sleep."

to Benny's surprise, Ethan sits on his lap and rests his head and arms on Benny's chest.

"more comfortable this way." Ethan says before his eyes shut.

* * *

A perfume. The perfect tactic.

When the perfume accidentally transfers to Sarah after his test drive with Erica, Benny can't pay full attention to his new "girlfriend."

Sarah is suddenly all over Ethan. It's not for her.

** _it's not for her._ **

His hands are in his pockets, and he's so glad. He leans over to catch sight the two of them before Erica slams her hand against the wall and spouts, "Hey there, handsome."

Lips are on his but he'll never close his eyes. He's thinking about the reversal spell, and when he pulls away he slowly turns to find Ethan's reaction.

"Your striped shirts just _scream_ 'im good at calculus!'" Erica screams dramatically, no soul behind her words.

"He actually is really good at calculus," Ethan says sweetly, uninvested in the girl on his chest, calling him her 'boyfriend' and pulling out lame, basic compliments.

Perfume drops. Infected air hits the vents. The perfume doesn't work on boys.

* * *

Sarah is in Ethan's room, sitting in Benny's chair, leaving Benny on the bed.

He sulks in secret, arms rested on the bedframe framing his face as it stares hopelessly at the two obstacles in front of him.

"Hey, Benny, check this out, the oldest tree in town just got cut down a few weeks ago."

Benny lifts his head up. "It's right next to the school,"

"So, what, the tree wants revenge?" Sarah scoffs.

Sarah has lived in this town long enough to know not to doubt anything anymore, right? Benny buries his face into his arms again, waiting for another moment to jump in but feeling left out none the less.

Why did she have to steal his chair, his best friend, his moment. He loved Sarah, he really did, but she doesn't have to be put first.

Benny came first. Benny was the one at five years old who talked Ethan's ear off the day the Morgan's moved in, the one who pinned him to the ground in the Summers and made him laugh.  
Benny was always there, never left, cancelled plans.

Sarah never laughed at Ethan's jokes. Sarah never respected his dorky interests, Sarah ditched them when they needed her the most. What's so special?

* * *

Being under the desk was painful, bodies squished together and back problems developing.

Benny was scared, he'll admit. With videogames, he was separated by a screen. Now, he's in the game.

His breathing was noticeably unsteady, heaving and matching up with his darting eyes. He feels a hand on his arm and he starts to calm down. Ethan wasn't the most stable, either, but he knew how to protect others.

Benny just wishes he would show his vulnerability for once.

"Benny?" Gulps Ethan's voice, "is that you? Benny!"

Benny just wishes he would show his own vulnerability for once.

* * *

"Hey! that's my spot!"

"What? I always sit beside Ethan on movie night,"

Sarah needs to stop pulling at the seams. This was never her spot, she just longs to replace him.

"Oh, I get it," Benny says with discomfort, "you two wanna _canoodle_."

If they deny this, why is this spot so important? Benny hesitates, looking forward and ignoring both parties. He hopes they'll give up, but Sarah refuses to budge.

Ethan elbows him in the side, receiving an eye roll from Benny as he spits a passive-agressive "alright!" and sits next to Jane.

* * *

Sarah would disappear for the summer. Ethan wouldn't let Benny hear the end of it.

They would play video games, stop by wig shops, watch the skate park, clean each other's wounds after they thought they could skate, but thoughts of a certain vampire would always come up.

"Gosh, Sarah would beat this clown silly,"

"Sarah would look sick in this!"

"Do you think Sarah can skateboard?"

"Wouldn't it be wicked if Sarah licked my wound clean,"

"Quit being horny," Benny snickers weakly, dabbing at his knee with alcohol, "you're in pain."

"Look who's talking!" Ethan pushes at his shoulder. His joyful expression drops in realization. "Though, you haven't been at it much, lately."

The other boy looks up from the wound for the first time in a while, looking at the seer with seeking eyes.

"Are you crushing on someone?" A smile spreads across Ethan's face. "For real this time?"

* * *

Benny and Ethan are walking down a sidewalk. They're coming from the skatepark, though this time they didn't try anything and resorted to just watching again.

"Hey, Ethan?" Benny calls, hands shoved in his pockets and eyes glued to the ground, only looking up at Ethan for a short second.

"Yeah?" Ethan replies softly, looking directly at him.

"If I went missing, like Sarah," Benny starts, gnawing at his lip, "would you talk about me this much?"

Ethan breathes out a short laugh, smiling and leaning down to catch Benny's eyes. "Benny," he sighs, shaking his head, "with you, I'd worry in my head. When Sarah's gone, I actually _have_ _you_ to blabber to."

Benny fixes his posture and keeps his eyes in Ethan's.

"I can only talk to _you_ like this, no one else."

* * *

"Sorry I've been so mean about Sarah, lately."

They're sitting in Ethan's bed, said bed owner on his laptop and the best friend toying with the sleeve of his pant leg.

"really? I didn't notice," Ethan said, eyes still on his screen. "thought you were just moody."

"I guess she's not really my problem, it's just..." Benny lays back on the bed, "New to me."

* * *

One thing both Benny and Sarah can bond over is protecting Ethan.

Sarah is protecting Ethan. Ethan is protecting Sarah. when it comes to it, Benny has to protect both.

He holds the Nerf gun tightly, staring between Ethan, Sarah, and the council. when the green mist invades Ethan's skull, Benny is the one who scrambles to fix it.

* * *

"You can do it, magic man."

Ethan's hand is on his shoulder. Benny can see the genuine trust in his eyes, he can't find his way out of them. Ethan really knew how to cheer someone on, and that's what everyone loves about him.

"and if you can't, do what I do," Benny knows what's coming. "call Sarah for help."

Benny's rapture is destroyed. Sarah, again. Big shocker.

He stares out the window and leaves, Ethan's hand sliding down his back as he walks out.

When they both look out the window, are they staring at the same thing?

* * *

Ethan is rattling off ways to ask Sarah out. Benny is scoffing, certain he'll never do it.

"I will, too!" Is a constant response. Benny shrugs it off. He doesn't want it to be true.

The wizard walks up behind his friend, watching the rose twirl in his hand. He catches his eyebrows lowering and lifts them back up quickly before walking over.

He rests his hand on the wall, next to Ethan's face. "You know, just for you," he says adoringly, "I'll take my hundred bucks in dollars."

Ethan places the rose back in his locker. "The deal was that I had a year to ask Sarah out. I still have five hours left."

Benny crosses his arms, "Hmph."

He hopes Rory's sudden plea for a council meeting will take up all five hours.

"I'll ask Sarah out later,"

"Yeah, sure you will."

His smile is too obvious now.

* * *

"Erica told me you were here," Sarah comes rushing into the council, out of breath. "Did they hurt you?"

Benny's heart is being gnawed at, ripped, teared. Today was the day.

He doubted this would ever happen, but Ethan is fidgeting and stuttering, arms on Sarah's shoulders and eyes almost falling out of his head.

"Sarah, would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?"

Benny decides to accept his fate and changes his composure.

"I never doubted you for a second!" he says through his teeth, his voice cracking abashedly.

"Me too! and I'm not lying like Benny!" Rory exclaims, a stand in for Benny's lack of support.

* * *

A tap on the nose and a sabotage makes up for Benny's loss of a hundred dollars and a heart. Some obviously bad dating advice was payback for his pain.

Its not like this is the first time, in fact Benny has never given Ethan good dating advice and he knew it.

"You think he'll blow it?"

"Yeah, probs."

* * *

The date went to shit and Ethan was piercing a heart, and not only his own.

Benny should be happy, but every glance into Ethan's hurt eyes would pain him ten times worse than the past couple of days.

He wishes he thought this through. He wishes this was easier.

"Benny," Ethan called as his friend came out the bathroom, "Sarah said that our date was a mistake,"

His eyes were lost and on the verge of tears. He was out of breath. this was painful for the both of them.

"Oh, harsh." His expression was worried but his words came out a little too fast. He cared, but he didn't. A diverged force in his mind.

Ethan was choking on his words. He needed a hug, and Benny wanted to deliver. But, it wasn't the right time and definitely wasn't good for his sanity.

"If there's anything I've learned from girls, it's to just walk away and ignore it." Benny looks deeply into him. "That's what they do to me."

this time he actually believes what he's saying. it's not about girls this time, however.

"You're right," Ethan replies, the sound of it making Benny frown.

"get past the personal."

He would know.

* * *

Benny was dead now, in Ethan's eyes. So was Sarah, but Benny actually felt it.

"Sarah's the one you want to protect the most."

"but _I'm_ his best friend," Benny points out, heart almost gone and head spinning.

his grandma completely ignores him, just like Ethan, just like Sarah. "Now, whatever teenager nonsense is going on, you two _care_ about each other."

betrayed.

"You have to believe me, that's stronger than any magic."

No hope is left and a life is shattered. Benny is dead in every way and he can't shake it.

He watches Ethan curl up in a ball, unresponsive. he tries so hard to lighten the mood. all that's left is him and Sarah.

* * *

"You know what, enough is enough." the wizard springs from his chair, tired of worrying about Ethan and tired of worrying about himself.

"We've gone up against all kinds of crazy stuff before, and we always win!"

He closes his eyes and pulls out his heart, staring right into Ethan. "The point is, you're the guy who pulls it together, _every time_, so pull it together!"

He was sick of seeing Ethan hurt, he couldn't take it anymore. He needed him to be happy, and he didn't care what he had to do, even risking his own happiness.

Ethan really needs a hug.

"Ethan, we need your help." once Sarah starts to talk, Ethan actually moves. it makes Benny feel worthless and cheated, but he hopes it means something good.

Ethan sits up. "Your grandma said that I have to find something stronger than fear," he stands and holds out his hands. "I think I did."

Benny grabs his hand and feels a little less dead.

grandma weir was wrong. Sarah is not the only one Ethan cares for above all else.

They needed **_eachother. _**Ethans power in the prescence of _both of them_ was unbeatable. 

Benny failed to realize this in his jealousy.

"Dude, are we having a moment?"

* * *

Ethan saves Benny, a hand on his heart. it works, it's beating, but that's not the problem now.

When the wave of purple flashes through Whitechapel, Benny and Ethan fall to the floor.

Benny wishes he never moved a muscle. This was all his fault.

Everything was.

They're 5 feet apart, but their hands almost touch when they're sprawled out. Benny looks at Ethan, eyes about to close. Ethan's already lost.

"I love you, I'm sorry."


End file.
